Catfish
and Hush Puppies

Blues isn’t the only good
thing that came out of the southern USA. They have some pretty good grub down
there too! On a drive through Mississippi forests (on one of Max’s research
expeditions) he arrived at Taylor, Mississippi, a little old country town that
just ‘happens’ along the meandering highway. The Taylor Grocery and
Restaurant is the only eating place there. It’s pretty basic
decoration-wise and has an old-world charm all of it’s own; the walls (and
ceiling!) feature graffiti of past visitors. Described as a “genuine country
store with a tin roof and wooden sidewalk (verandah) and gas pumps out front”
by one writer (“Southern Food” by John Egerton, published by Alfred A Knopf
Inc. 1987). Taylor’s is justifiably mentioned in a National Geographic
magazine as a famous catfish restaurant. Max sampled their speciality; catfish
with hush puppies, a classic dish in the South, akin to the popularity of fish
and chips in the UK. So now we bring you this catfish recipe, one of the oldest
and simplest.

Catfish (Pan-Fried)

Select fresh catfish, whole or
fillets; wash well in cold water and pat completely dry with paper towels. This
recipe is for fillets, preferred because they are easier to clean, fry and eat;
allow about ½ pound per person.

In a heavy iron skillet (or
frying pan) melt enough lard or shortening to reach a depth of ½ to 1 inch.

Rub the fish with salt and
black pepper and coat with white cornmeal, shaking off the excess.

When the fat in the skillet is
hot (but not smoking), lay the pieces of fish in gently (spaced so as not to
touch) and fry for about 4 minutes, or until they are crisp and well browned on
the bottom side.

Turn carefully and fry to the
same crispness on the other side.

Then lift the pieces out
carefully and drain on a platter covered with absorbent paper.

An ample supply of lemon wedges
will provide ideal seasoning, though most people prefer tartar, hot pepper, or
catsup-based sauces.

Now for the other half of the
dish. A hush puppy is “a deep fried ball of cornmeal batter and seasonings
that become an all-parts companion of fried fish”. Some accounts say the name
came from Florida “…in the general vicinity of St. Marks (the term being
what camp cooks supposedly shouted to the barking hounds when they tossed them
batter-ball scraps from the fish skillets)”

Hush Puppies

In a mixing bowl, combine 1 cup
of self-raising white cornmeal, ½ cup of self-raising flour, ½ teaspoonful of
salt, and 1 teaspoonful of sugar (or use regular meal and flour with the salt
and sugar and add ½ teaspoonful each of baking powder and baking soda).

Blend in 1 egg and add enough
buttermilk (up to one cup) to produce a thick batter that will drop slowly but
easily from a teaspoon. (finely minced green onion and garlic, black or red
pepper, or a few drops of hot pepper sauce may be added to suit your taste).

To make golf ball sized pups,
drop teaspoonfuls of the batter into fat that is hot enough and deep enough for
the morsels to float (about 375°
and 3 inches respectively).

Fry to a golden brown and drain
on absorbent paper, keep8ing the cooked ones warm in a 150°
oven until ready to serve with a platter of fish. The recipe makes about 2 dozen
or more hush puppies.

Both recipes are from
“Southern Food” by John Egerton, published by Alfred A Knopf Inc. 1987.